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Our take: Get off the dock side and get something done

We have no idea of what kind of damage the sinking of the SS Beaver will cause in Cowichan Bay — if any at all.

Humans, their garbage and their industry have been fouling the estuary and the adjacent sea for generations. Even if the faux paddlewheeler went down with full tanks of diesel, it’s likely the bay has endured worse than this during that span.

But that’s not really what’s important here.

What is important is the authories have been aware for months that the Beaver was a risk and they did absolutely nothing to address that.

Worse, it is just the latest in a string of similar shipwrecks-in-waiting left to rot on local waterways while officials screw up their noses and wring their hands, and moan about how they are absolutely powerless to fix the problem.

There comes a time when excuses are simply not enough.

There comes a time when someone needs to take a stand.

To the south of us, Greater Victoria officials have used creative methods to crack down on similar situations in Oak Bay and in the Gorge. Police, municipalities and federal officials have worked together to find loopholes, then take action.

Why can’t the same thing happen here in Cowichan? Take some chances. Stop talking about what you can’t do and start considering what you can.

Take a chance. Get creative with a strategy, then implement it.

Say there is an environmental or navigation hazard and seize the boat. Who’s going to complain?

When someone abandons a pile of metal and plastic on land, it is treated like what it is — trash.

Why aren’t we doing the same on the water?

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